Method and apparatus for distribution of power in a media converter system

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus are disclosed for distributing power in a media converter system. The method involves converting an input voltage to an intermediate voltage and transmitting the intermediate voltage to a downstream converter. The downstream converter converts the intermediate voltage to a usable output voltage that is supplied to the media converter ports. The apparatus includes a main power supply for creating the intermediate voltage and downstream converters located remotely from the main power supply for converting the intermediate voltage to the usable output voltage. Transmission cables are also included for providing the intermediate voltage to the downstream converters. The apparatus may also include a bus with connections for the power supply and a power distribution module. The power supply and power distribution module utilize identical connections thereby providing flexibility in positioning the power supply and distribution module in a chassis.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to the distribution of electricalpower from power supplies to downstream devices. More specifically, thepresent invention relates to the distribution of electrical power inmedia converter systems.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Media converter systems are used in data networks to convertsignal transmission from one media, such as twisted pair copper, toanother media such as fiber optics. Media converter systems include apower supply and one or more media converters. The media converterperforms the conversion of signal transmission. Media converters receivethe data signal through one media and output the data signal throughanother. The media converter is an active device and requires a supplyvoltage.

[0003] A power supply is used to provide operating voltage to the mediaconverters in a media converter system. As shown in FIG. 1, conventionalpower distribution systems utilize a centralized power supply. Astandard voltage V_(m) is provided to a central power supply 102 atinput 104. V_(in) is typically an AC voltage such as the 60 Hz 115 volt(VAC) standard but can be other voltages or even DC. The media converteroperates on 5 volts DC (VDC). Therefore, the standard line voltageV_(in) must be converted before being applied to the downstream mediaconverter. The centralized power supply 102 converts V_(in) into ausable voltage and provides several DC outputs 106, 108, and 110 thatmay be different. The output voltages are fed or bussed to downstreamdevices such as media converters.

[0004] Centralized power distribution systems suffer from severaldrawbacks. Because V_(in) must be converted to the usable voltage beforetransmission, the current supplied from the power supply through thetransmission lines is the total current consumption used by all of thedownstream devices which is inefficient because of I²R losses. Thetransmission lines must be selected so that the maximum current ratingis not exceeded, and this leads to a lack of system flexibility.

[0005] Also, governmental certification requirements require that thedownstream devices be at or below a certain voltage to be classified asa low voltage device not subject to UL/CSA safety testing. Avoiding anon-low voltage rating allows the device to be much cheaper. If thedevice is configured to operate at a relatively high voltage that allowslow current transmission, the device may not be classifiable as a lowvoltage device and will become more expensive as a result.

[0006] Also, because V_(in) is converted directly to the usable voltageby the centralized power supply, if downstream devices require differingvoltages, then the centralized power supply must have multiple outputssupplying the differing voltages as shown in FIG. 1. Power supplycomplexity is increased to provide the differing voltages, andflexibility of the system is decreased because downstream devicesrequiring voltages other than that provided by the power supply cannotbe easily added.

[0007] If many devices are linked to the centralized power supply andits current sourcing limits have been reached, redundancy cannot beadded to provide a greater current sourcing limit without adding anothercentralized power supply and routing its outputs to some of thedownstream devices previously linked to the initial power supply. Thisinability to be made redundant also poses a problem when the initialpower supply fails. Because there is no redundancy, no back up power isavailable to instantaneously handle the current demand previouslyaddressed by the initial power supply.

[0008] Furthermore, in some centralized power supply systems, thecentralized power supply outputs an AC voltage or the AC line voltage issimply distributed to power supplies at the downstream devices. Insystems where the informational signals must be transmitted in proximityto the power transmission lines, the AC voltage in the transmissionlines may introduce unwanted characteristics into the informationalsignal. Therefore, in such centralized power supply systems, thetransmission lines must be isolated from the informational signals.

SUMMARY

[0009] The present invention addresses issues including the problemsdiscussed above by providing a distributed power supply architecture toprovide a usable voltage to downstream media converters. The inputvoltage is converted to at least one intermediate voltage fortransmission. The intermediate voltage is then converted to the usablevoltage for the media converter. The intermediate voltage allows thecurrent in the transmission line to be reduced relative to the currentthat is drawn by the media converters. The intermediate voltage can alsobe supplied at a value below the low voltage device threshold. Theintermediate voltage is preferably DC, thereby allowing informationalsignals to be transmitted in close proximity to the transmission lineswithout signal interference. Redundant devices for generating theintermediate voltage may be linked through a bus to permit swapping ofpower supplies during operation and to provide additional current inreserve. The interfaces to the bus may be made to connect to either thepower supply or the power distribution module allowing flexible modulepositioning.

[0010] The present invention is embodied in a method for distributingpower in a media converter system. The method involves receiving aninput voltage into a first converter and converting the input voltage toan intermediate DC voltage. Transferring the intermediate DC voltage toa remotely located second converter and converting the intermediate DCvoltage to an output voltage are also performed.

[0011] The present invention is also embodied in an apparatus fordistributing electrical power in a media converter system. The apparatusincludes at least one first converter that converts an input voltage toan intermediate DC voltage. At least one second converter is included toconvert the intermediate DC voltage to an output DC voltage, and thesecond converter(s) are located remotely from the first converter(s).The apparatus also includes at least one electrical conductorelectrically linking the first converter(s) to the second converter(s).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012]FIG. 1 illustrates a centralized power supply architecture of theprior art.

[0013]FIG. 2 depicts a distributed power supply architecture inaccordance with the present invention.

[0014]FIG. 3 shows a distributed power supply architecture for a mediaconverter system.

[0015]FIG. 4 shows an exemplary bus port and corresponding pinassignments.

[0016]FIG. 5 illustrates a fuse configuration for the exemplary bus portof FIG. 4.

[0017]FIG. 6A shows a top view for a distributed power supplyarchitecture in a 1U chassis configuration.

[0018]FIG. 6B shows a front view of the distributed power supplyarchitecture of FIG. 6A.

[0019]FIG. 7 shows the remote distributed power supply for a 1U chassisconfiguration with three downstream media converters.

[0020]FIG. 8A shows a side view for a distributed power supply in a 3Uchassis configuration.

[0021]FIG. 8B shows a front view of the distributed power supplyarchitecture of FIG. 8A.

[0022]FIG. 9 depicts circuitry for a power distribution module forisolating redundant power supplies.

[0023]FIG. 10A illustrates a top view of a distributed power supplyarchitecture for a 1U chassis configuration including non-swappablepower supply units, power distribution module, and fans.

[0024]FIG. 10B shows a front view of the distributed power supplyarchitecture of FIG. 10A.

[0025]FIG. 11 illustrates a top view of a distributed power supplyarchitecture for a 1U chasses configuration including fans and a powerdistribution module with integrated converters.

[0026]FIG. 11B depicts a front view of the distributed power supplyarchitecture of FIG. 1A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Various embodiments of the present invention will be described indetail with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numeralsrepresent like parts and assemblies through the several views. Referenceto various embodiments does not limit the scope of the invention, whichis limited only by the scope of the claims attached hereto.

[0028] The methods and systems described herein implement a distributedpower supply architecture for a media converter system. The power supplyarchitecture embodied by methods and systems described herein isapplicable to other systems in addition to media converter systems. Thedistributed power supply architecture involves converting an inputvoltage to an intermediate voltage which is transmitted. Theintermediate voltage is then converted to a usable output voltage thatis utilized by a device such as a media converter. The final conversionmay be performed by the destination device itself, if the device isequipped with the appropriate electrical components for suchconversions.

[0029]FIG. 2 shows a basic distributed power supply architecture (DPA).An input voltage V_(in) is provided to a main power supply unit (PSU)238 at input 202. The main PSU typically accepts AC or DC input voltagesand provides one or more regulated output voltages. The regulated outputvoltages are usually DC. One or more additional PSUs 212 may be includedin a DPA. The input voltage V_(in) is provided to the additional PSU atinput 204. The main PSU 238 and the optional PSU 212 provide theregulated DC voltage at outputs 206 and 208, respectively. Thisregulated output voltage acts as an intermediate voltage in the DPA.

[0030] The outputs 206 and 208 are electrically linked with a bus 210which thereby obtains the regulated DC output voltage. This regulated DCbus voltage is output from the bus 210 through a plurality of outputs214 and 216. The regulated bus voltage is transmitted to downstreaminputs 218 and 220 of the one or more DC-DC converters 222 and 224 thatconvert the intermediate voltage to one or more output voltages 226-230and 232-236 that are usable by downstream devices (not shown). BecauseDC-DC converters are not 100% efficient, the power supplied from themain and optional PSUs will be greater than the power actually absorbedby the downstream devices. However, the current in the transmissionlines is reduced, redundancy is provided, and the transmission linescarry DC which does not interfere with nearby informational signallines.

[0031]FIG. 3 illustrates the DPA in a media converter system. The inputvoltage V_(in) is supplied to the main PSU 306 through input 302. Anoptional PSU 308 for providing redundancy may receive the input voltagethrough input 304. The main PSU 306 and optional PSU 308 provide aregulated intermediate voltage at outputs 314 and 312, respectively. Theintermediate voltage is provided to a bus 316 through connections 330and 332. In this exemplary embodiment, the connections are several RJ-45jacks that interface when the main and optional PSUs are installed in achassis described with reference to FIGS. 6-8. More than one RJ-45 jackper PSU may be used to handle the total current sourced from the PSU.The chassis houses the PSUs and thereby forms a central power supplysection (CPSS) 310.

[0032] The bus 316 provides the intermediate voltage through outputs 318and 320. The outputs are typically RJ-45 jacks. Transmission lines 326and 328 electrically communicate with the outputs 318 and 320. Thetransmission lines 326 and 328 are typically RJ-45 patch cables. Thesecables conduct current from the bus 316 to inputs 322 and 324 to powerdistribution motherboards 334 and 336 of media converters 346 and 348.

[0033] The media converters 346 and 348 in this exemplary embodimentcontain two sets of eight ports and a DC-DC converter 338-344 for eachset of eight ports. The power distribution motherboards 334 and 336provide the intermediate voltage directly to the DC-DC converters338-344. The DC-DC converters 338-344 convert the intermediate voltageto an output voltage usable by the media converters to perform mediaconversion for each port. Rather than embedding the DC-DC convertersinto the media converters, separate downstream DC-DC converters can beused. Additionally, more than one intermediate voltage could be used inthe transfer of power from the PSU to the media converter.

[0034] It is desirable to operate the media converters 346 and 348 aslow voltage devices to avoid UL/CSA certification which increases thecost of the media converters. To do so, the intermediate voltage shouldbe less than 24 VDC. Typically, the ports operate at 5 VDC. Theintermediate voltage may be chosen based upon common output levels forcommercially available PSUs. For example, a Compaq modular PCI powersupply presents a 12 VDC output. This output is satisfactory because itis below the 24 VDC ceiling. Based upon consideration of the number ofports that must be operated and based upon the maximum current that canbe carried by the chosen transmission line, the number of transmissionlines may be determined.

[0035] As an example, a 10BASE-T/FL media converter port requiresapproximately 180 mA at 5 VDC. The power dissipation for the mediaconverter port is 900 mW. For a 16 port media converter, 14.4 watts willbe used (2880 mA at 5 VDC). Using two 90% efficient DC-DC convertersaccepting 12 VDC inputs to produce 5 VDC outputs supplying 2880 mAtotal, the two DC-DC converters require 1333 mA total from the PSUs.Thus, one transmission cable can be used to supply power for the mediaconverter if it has a total current rating of greater than 1333 mA. OneRJ-45 cable typically has a current rating of 1500 mA per contactposition and can, therefore, be used.

[0036]FIG. 4 illustrates the bus ports used in the exemplary embodimentsdescribed herein. The connections between the PSUs and the bus, and theconnections between the transmission cables and the bus and the mediaconverters may all correspond to the same bus port. This exemplary busport is the RJ-45 standard. The pin assignments are shown for the eightpins contained in the port. The pins in this embodiment alternatebetween the intermediate voltage and ground. Conductors 402, 406, 410,and 414 (pins 1, 3, 5, and 7) are held at the intermediate voltage.Conductors 404, 408, 412, and 416 (pins 2, 4, 6, and 8) are held atsystem ground. A variety of RJ-45 jacks known in the art are suitablefor the connections.

[0037]FIG. 5 illustrates an in-line resettable fuse 502 that is used inthe exemplary embodiment. The resettable fuse 502 may be placed in theconnections between the PSUs and the bus, between the bus and thetransmission cables, and/or between the transmission cables and themedia converters. The resettable fuse is preferred because itautomatically resets once the fault is cleared. The resettable fuse isplaced between the incoming current and the intermediate voltageconductors 506, 510, 514, and 518 (pins 1, 3, 5, and 7) of the RJ-45port. Conductors 504, 508, 512, and 516 (pins 2, 4, 6, and 8) are heldat system ground and are not directly connected to the resettable fuse.

[0038]FIG. 6A depicts the DPA using RJ-45 ports that is contained in anIEEE 1U chassis 624. The 1U chassis 624 holds a single row of devicesand is mountable in a system rack (not shown). The 1U chassis shownholds two PSUs 614 and 618 and an RJ-45 connector field 616, known as apower distribution module (PDM), forming a single fully redundant CPSS.The DPA includes rack mounts 602 and 606 for attaching the chassis 624to the system rack. A motherboard 604 known as a backplane is includedto establish the system bus. The motherboard 604 has a main PSU RJ-45connection 608, and optional PSU RJ-45 connection 612, and a connectorfield RJ-45 connection 616. The main PSU 614, optional PSU 618, andconnection field 616 slide into the chassis and plug into theconnections 608, 610, and 612. The PSUs 614 and 618 are hot-swappablebecause of their modular design, and one can be replaced while the otheroperates because of their redundant configuration.

[0039] The front view shown in FIG. 6B illustrates the plate of thechassis 624 that is exposed once mounted in the system rack. Rack mounts602 and 606 are accessible so that the chassis can easily besecured/unsecured from the rack. The main PSU 614 and optional PSU 618have external connectors (not shown) for V_(in) on the exposed plate.When an AC input voltage is used, the PSUs will typically have an IECconnector. A terminal block (not shown) is provided on the front platewhen a DC input voltage is used.

[0040] The PDM 616 provides a set of jacks 620 for connection to powertransmission cables that ultimately lead to the power converters thatsupply the usable voltage for the media converter ports. The PDM mayalso provide an additional jack 622 for connection to an external alarm(not shown). In such a PDM, the PDM contains well-known logic circuitryfor determining when a PSU or fan has failed and for providing an alarmsignal in response. The alarm signal is transmitted from the alarm jack622 to the external alarm. When the alarm is triggered, the alarm willsignal the system operator who can then determine the problem andcorrect it.

[0041] The 1U chassis may be designed for installation on the rear sideof a standard equipment rack. Locating the 1U chassis at the top rear orbottom rear of the rack allows AC input voltage cables to be routedfurther away from data cables connected to other chassis located in therack that are dedicated to signal processing and transfer, such as themedia converters. This eliminates the intermixing of AC power and data.

[0042]FIG. 7 shows the rear view of a rack with a 1U chassis mounted atthe bottom. The input voltage is supplied to the main and optional PSUs724 and 726 of the CPSS through power cables routed away from datacables. At locations above the CPSS, the 16 port media converters 702,706, and 710 are mounted in the rack. The media converters have powerinput jacks 704, 708, and 712. Standard (UTP) patch cables 714, 716, and718 having RJ-45 jacks are shown. These cables plug into the PDM 722 andtransfer power to the power input jacks 704, 708, and 712 at theintermediate voltage.

[0043] Alternatively, the PDM could transfer power to a bank ofdownstream DC-DC converters that supply the power at the usable voltageto the input jacks of media converters lacking embedded DC-DCconverters. Another alternative may use multiple intermediate voltages.In an example of that case, the PDM may transfer a first intermediatevoltage to a bank of DC-DC converters that supply a second intermediatevoltage to the media converters whose DC-DC converters then convert thesecond intermediate voltage to a usable voltage.

[0044] The intermediate voltage cables 714, 716, and 718 are routed awayfrom cables supplying the input power to avoid the introduction of ACcharacteristics. The intermediate voltage cables 714, 716, and 718 canbe routed in proximity to the data cables (not shown) leading into/outof the media converters 702, 706, and 710 because they carry only DCcurrent and will not affect the informational signals. The intermediatevoltage cables 714, 716, and 718 transfer power to the jacks 704, 708,and 712 which are connected to each media converter motherboard. Themotherboard then distributes the power to the DC-DC converters forconversion to the usable output voltage.

[0045]FIG. 8A shows a DPA in an IEEE 3U chassis configuration. The 3Uchassis can support 3 fully redundant CPSS. Each component 802, 804, and806 including a main PSU, optional PSU, and PDM for each CPSS slidesinto the 3U chassis which provides a backplane 808 to establish thesystem bus for each CPSS. The backplane 808 has three vertical busses,and each CPSS forms a three row vertical column in this embodiment.Because identical connections are used for all components to thebackplane, each component will function correctly regardless of itsprecise location in the vertical column.

[0046] Alternatively, the backplane 808 may provide a bus common to allCPSS in the 3U chassis. In that case, all PDMs can form one column orone row or can be randomly spaced. However, the proper number of PDMsand PSUs must be used to ensure sufficient current reserves andsufficient cable ratings. A suitable backplane connector is the EUROCARD48 position DIN connector. In either of the alternatives, one or more ofthe PSUs in the 3U chassis may be hot-swapped without interruptingoperation of the power supply system because of the PSU redundancyachieved through using the common bus.

[0047] The front view of the 3U chassis in FIG. 8B shows the plate ofthe chassis that is exposed when mounted in a rack. The rack mounts 810and 812 allow the chassis to be easily secured/unsecured. Column 814forms the first CPSS having a PDM 820, a first PSU 822, and a second PSU824. The second column 816 forms the second CPSS having a PSU 826, a PDM828, and a PSU 830. The third column 818 forms the third CPSS having PSU802, PSU 804, and PDM 806 shown in the side view of FIG. 8A. As shown,the PDM for each CPSS has the optional alarm jack. Again, the 3U chassismay be located at the top rear or bottom rear of the rack to avoidintermixing AC power with data from devices mounted in other racklocations.

[0048] In both the 1U chassis and the 3U chassis, forced air cooling isdesirable. Fans may be included in the rack and operate from the busvoltage supplied by the PSUs. The logic circuitry may be linked to thefans to detect overheating conditions which will also trigger an alarm.Such fans are shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 and are discussed in more detailbelow with reference to those figures.

[0049]FIG. 9 shows electrical connections between PSUs and an RJ-45 port908 of a PDM that allow redundancy where the PSUs were not initiallydesigned for parallel operation. Such power supplies are less expensiveand may not be modular. These PSUs can be used for non-hot-swappableconfigurations where the PSUs are permanent fixtures within the chassisboard.

[0050] In these configurations, Schottky barrier diodes 902 and 904 areplaced between the power supplies and the resettable fuse 906. TheSchottky barrier diodes 902 and 904 are provided in an OR-ingconfiguration to isolate one PSU from the other when a PSU fails.Isolating the failed PSU allows all of the current from the operationalPSU to be provided through the RJ-45 ports.

[0051] As shown, the diodes are used on a per RJ-45 port basis. Thissetup is desirable because using a pair of diodes for each RJ-45 portallows use of lower wattage diodes and requires no additional heatsinking. When the PSUs are not modular and are hardwired to the PDM,there may be no additional backplane forming a bus and the barrierdiodes may be placed within the circuitry connecting the PSUs to the PDMor within the PDM's internal connection circuitry. However, if a PSU ismodular but is not designed for parallel operation, Schottky barrierdiodes can be placed within the PSU's connections to the backplane.Schottky barrier diodes are preferred because of their low forwardvoltage drop.

[0052] A 1U chassis 1006 with non-modular PSUs is shown in FIG. 10A. Thechassis 1006 has mounts 1002 and 1004 for securing/unsecuring thechassis 1006 to the equipment rack (not shown). The chassis 1006 hasnon-modular PSUs 1008 and 1010. These non-modular PSUs are hard-wired tothe PDM 1016. The chassis 1006 acts as a heatsink for the PSUs 1008 and1010.

[0053] In this embodiment, two fans 1018 and 1020 are situated betweenthe front edge of the chassis 1006 and each PSU 1008 and 1010. The fans1018 and 1020 circulate air to and from outside the equipment rack tocool the PSUs 1008 and 1010 and chassis 1006 during operation. Thesefans receive power directly from the outputs of PSUs 1008 and 1010. AnIEC connector 1014 is provided to receive the AC input voltage andsupply it directly to the PSUs 1008 and 1010.

[0054] The front view in FIG. 10B shows the plate of the chassis 1006that is exposed when the chassis is mounted in the rack. The mounts 1002and 1004 are accessible to enable the chassis to be easilysecured/unsecured. The IEC AC input connector 1014 and RJ-45 connectorfield of the Pi)M 1016 are exposed on the plate making external powerconnections easy. As shown, the PDM 1016 contains the alarm control portfor connection to the PDM's alarm control circuitry.

[0055] On the opposite side of the chassis from the power connections, afront panel light emitting diode (LED) 1012 is provided to indicate thatone or more of the PSUs in the chassis 1006 are operating. Typically,the power connection plate will be exposed on the rear of the rack, andthe opposite side of the chassis having the LED 1012 will be exposed onthe front of the rack where the LED 1012 can be viewed by the operator.The LED 1012 is powered from the outputs of the PSUs 1008 and 1010.Multiple LEDs could be used to indicate to the operator which PSUs inthe chassis 1006 are in operation, and each LED would be individuallypowered from its corresponding PSU.

[0056] An example of a 1U chassis for a DPA having DC input voltage isshown in FIG. 11A. The chassis 1106 has mounts 1102 and 1104 forsecuring/unsecuring the chassis to the equipment rack. The chassis 1106includes a PDM 1114 that contains two DC-DC converter bricks 1110 and1112 and a PC board (PCB) assembly providing input/output circuitconnections for the converters 1110 and 1112. The DC-DC converters 1110and 1112 can be integrated into the PDM 1114 along with alarm controlcircuitry because their physical size is relatively small. For highpower rated DC-DC bricks, fans 1116 and 1118 are included to circulateair and cool the converters 1110 and 1112 and the chassis 1106 whichacts as an additional heatsink. Typically, the fans operate from theconverter bricks' output voltages.

[0057] The input DC voltage is received at a terminal block 1122. Theterminal block 1122 feeds the DC current to a circuit breaker 1120. Whenthe circuit breaker 1120 is in the closed position, the DC current ischanneled to the two DC-DC converter bricks 1110 and 1112. The converterbricks 1110 and 1112 convert the input DC voltage to the intermediate DCvoltage and supply that voltage to the output jacks of the PDM 1114.

[0058] The front view in FIG. 11B shows the plate of the 1U chassisexposed when mounted in the rack. The mounts 1102 and 1104 remainaccessible. The DC terminal block 1122 is exposed thereby enablingsimple input voltage connections. The circuit breaker switch 1120 isexposed as well allowing the operator to easily reset the circuitbreaker 1120 after it has tripped to stop operation. The circuit breaker1120 trips when too much input current is being drawn by the DC-DCconverters 1110 and 1112. After the operator determines the cause of theexcessive current draw and corrects the condition, the circuit breaker1120 is reset to restore normal operation.

[0059] The RJ-45 connector field and alarm control jack of the PDM 1114are also exposed on the plate of the chassis 1106. Connection betweenthe media converters and the intermediate voltage jacks are easily madewhile the chassis 1106 is mounted in the rack. The power LED 1108 isprovided on the opposite side of the chassis 1106 from the powerconnections. The LED 1108 indicates that one or more of the converterbricks are operating. The LED is powered by the outputs of the converterbricks 1110 and 1112. Again, multiple LEDs could be used to indicatewhich converter bricks are operating. Each LED is powered by the outputof the corresponding converter brick in that case.

[0060] While the invention has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understoodby those skilled in the alit that various other changes in the form anddetails may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention.

We claim:
 1. An apparatus for distributing electrical power in a mediaconverter system, comprising: at least one first converter that convertsan input voltage to an intermediate DC voltage; at least one secondconverter that converts the intermediate DC voltage to an output DCvoltage, the at least one second converter located remotely from the atleast one first converter; and at least one electrical conductorelectrically linking the at least one first converter to the at leastone second converter.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inputvoltage is AC.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input voltage isDC.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one conductorcomprises an electrical bus.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the atleast one conductor further comprises at least one RJ-45 patch cable. 6.The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a plurality of firstconverters linked to the electrical bus, wherein one or more of theplurality of first converters can be connected or disconnected from theelectrical bus without interrupting operation of the apparatus.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of secondconverters linked to a plurality of patch cables, the plurality of patchcables linked to the electrical bus.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1,further comprising at least one media converter device that receives thedistributed electrical power and operates on the output voltage.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one second converter is acomponent of the at least one media converter device.
 10. The apparatusof claim 8, wherein the at least one media converter device receivesdata signals through at least one data conductor, the at least one dataconductor being in proximity to the at least one electrical conductor.11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a third power converterthat converts the output voltage to a second output voltage, the thirdpower converter being electrically linked to the second power converter.12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one electricalconductor comprises at least one resettable fuse.
 13. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one first converter is housed in a firstchassis and the at least one second converter is housed in a secondchassis.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first and secondchassis are 1U chassis.
 15. A method for distributing power in a mediaconverter system, comprising: receiving an input voltage into a firstconverter; converting the input voltage to an intermediate DC voltage;transferring the intermediate DC voltage to a remotely located secondconverter; and converting the intermediate DC voltage to an outputvoltage.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of transferringthe intermediate DC voltage further comprises applying the intermediateDC voltage to an electrical bus.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein thestep of transferring the intermediate DC voltage further comprisessupplying intermediate DC current from the electrical bus through apatch cable.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the patch cable is anRJ-45 cord.
 19. The method of claim 15, further comprising: providingthe output voltage through a patch cable to a media converter device;and providing data signals through a data cable to the media converterdevice; wherein the output voltage is provided through a patch cable andthe data signals are provided through a data cable, the patch cablebeing in proximity to the data cable.
 20. The method of claim 16,further comprising electrically connecting one or more additional firstconverters to the electrical bus without interrupting the outputvoltage.
 21. An apparatus for distributing power in a media convertersystem, comprising: at least one first converter that converts an inputvoltage to an intermediate DC voltage, the at least one first converterhaving a connector of a first type; a power connection module having aconnector of the first type; a bus having at least two connectors of asecond type, the second type being a mate to the first type; at leastone power cable; wherein the at least one first converter and the powerconnection module are connectable to any of the bus connectors notoccupied and wherein the at least one power cable is connectable to thepower connection module.
 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the atleast one power cable has a connector of the first type and the powerconnection module has a connector of the second type that is connectedto the power cable's connector.
 23. The apparatus of claim 22, whereinthe connectors of the first and second type are RJ-45 jacks.
 24. Amethod for distributing power in a media converter system, comprising:providing at least one first converter that converts an input voltage toan intermediate DC voltage, the at least one first converter having aconnector of a first type; providing a power connection module having aconnector of the first type; providing a bus having connectors of asecond type, the second type being a mate to the first type; providingat least one power cable; selecting any of the bus connectors notoccupied for insertion of the at least one first converter; selectingany of the bus connections not occupied for insertion of the powerconnection module; and electrically connecting the at least one powercable to the power connection module.
 25. An apparatus for distributingpower in a media converter system, comprising: at least one DC-DCconverter having at least one RJ-45 jack for receiving a DC inputvoltage, the at least one DC-DC converter for converting the DC inputvoltage to a usable DC voltage; and at least one media converter port inelectrical communication with the at least one DC-DC converter, the atleast one media converter for receiving the usable DC voltage, forreceiving signal transmission in an input media and for utilizing theusable DC voltage to convert the signal transmission to an output mediadifferent than the input media.
 26. The apparatus of claim 25, whereinthe at least one DC-DC converter and the at least one media converterport are embedded within a media converter housing.
 27. The apparatus ofclaim 25, wherein the at least one DC-DC converter is embedded within afirst chassis and the at least one media converter port is embeddedwithin a second chassis.